Thursday, September 10, 2015

Sometimes it seemed easier to find a competant, personable and smart hair stylist and colorist -- never easy for me -- than a web designer. I'd tried for years -- yes, years -- to find someone to redesign my website. And, yet, even after doing an extensive vetting process, I ended up with people who overcharged, set things up that didn't work properly, gave me the exact opposite of what I wanted -- what isn't clear about my saying "I don't want anything Goth or retro" only to see that they designed a site that was Goth- or retro-laden? -- or disappeared off the face of the earth, never answering email or voice mail.

I basically gave up. And then everything changed when I ran in to Mickey Luckens -- in Reykjjavik, of all places -- who's the Marketing Strategies for Neww York City-based Ujima Digital. He interviewed me, asking me questions about my goals for the site, the products I designed, my target audience, and bunches more. He was smart, savvy, analytical, and insightful, providing suggestions and advice that no one had ever offered, advice that was creative and innovative. But, one of the most important things was that he was outgoing with an optimistic personality, and not a hit of condescension or pretention. And then he introduced me to Danielle Pearce, the actual designer. Again, I was worried that she wouldn't get it and that Goth and retro would somehow migrate into my site. Not a chance. Daniellle designed a contemporary, clean, stellar site that shows off my store and my photography. (Check out my newly-designed website here.) I found her to be a gem of a designer, who's personable, creative and innovative (just like Mickey). In fact, I agreed with 100% of her suggestions which, for me, is a first.

I'm going to continue working with Ujima Digital as I move forward with my site and produce more products. (My unisex travel bag and clothing line as well as my plush Angry J Creatures doll will soon debut.)